Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Some Mississippi lawmakers want to ban state courts from using or enforcing foreign law or participating in United Nations-inspired sustainable development efforts.

The House voted 116-1 Wednesday to pass House Bill 177, which bans use of foreign law. The body voted 78-37 to ban any Mississippi governments from adopting sustainable development principles laid out in Agenda 21, a nonbinding 1992 United Nations declaration.

Both measures reflect concerns among some Republicans about improper foreign and international influence on American affairs. Proponents of the foreign law-measure fear courts might refer to the compendiums of Muslim religious law known as Sharia. Agenda 21 opponents fear that local governments will restrict choices about where and how to live.

The measures cleared the House with little opposition and go to the Senate for more debate.